Swinging and this bad economy...

[2inSanDiego4u]

Many club owners in our area are complaining that their numbers are down about 20-30 percent. It seems like this economy is taking its toll on people getting out to clubs, and perhaps swinging in general. Things seem slower to us in general; less emails, less people chatting, etc. Do you guys think it is natural for people to swing less when times are tough?

[BiloxiCouple]

Less money = less leisure/swing time.

[ktown]

I think its called disposable income and less people have it with the price of food,gas,house payments ect so swingers comes in way down the list for most people.There are some clubs charging cheaper prices where we live but the big one we go to and like the most is about 100 a pop which includes dinner,dancing and hot tubs but it makes you go less or try thr smaller places.

[dnmnms]

Definantly. I know its a couple hours drive to the LS clubs from where we are. I dont figure we will be stopping the LS but I do think we will be staying closer to our area.

Melody

[2inSanDiego4u]

Originally Posted by ktown

There are some clubs charging cheaper prices where we live but the big one we go to and like the most is about 100 a pop which includes dinner,dancing and hot tubs but it makes you go less or try thr smaller places.

$100 per couple? Wow, that's a lot! The clubs here are about $65 per couple (BYOB), which is still not cheap.

[screaminggood]

We haven't been going recently because we need to use the money for other things.

[Playful1]

I don't think it's less swinging so much as less going out. It costs a lot to go out for the night, and I think more couples are opting to stay in, or just go get a few drinks with someone rather than go to a club.

I know I'm certainly opting for low cost or no cost options over going out a club.

[jjtrindc]

For us, a night out at a club means babysitter, nice dinner, club fees ($40 on premise, upwards of $100 on premise). For us, it's our time...away from kids, jobs, life, etc. I doubt we'll be giving it up anytime soon, but can understand where others will cut back. Indeed, meeting a couple online and just having them over vs. the club scene means less $$. Ultimately, people need there own getaways so while I'm sure clubs will feel a pinch hopefully they will remain strong -- so support your club or you may find yourselves with less and less lifestyle options.

[fun4Ds]

We have been saving . We squeezed our nickles until a Buffalo shit.

I'm ready to freaking party

[two4youinswva]

We'll collect aluminum cans for cash before giving up swing night.

[cplnuswing]

Originally Posted by BiloxiCouple

Less money = less leisure/swing time.

An unfortunate truth!! We're probably like most - times tighten up, the fun budget is the first to get cut. Could eat out tonight - or just find something in the fridge - Could go away for the weekend to the club or could just stay at home and work around the house

[JustAskJulie]

If we had to make the choice we'd stop eating out completely and set that money aside so that we could still hit our favorite club on occasion.

That said, there are plenty of ways to swing cheap. You may have to cut back on hitting the clubs and it may require inviting people home more, or just meeting for a drink or desert instead of dinner, but a tight budget doesn't mean no swinging (or no leisure). Just means you have to do it differently.

[2inSanDiego4u]

Originally Posted by JustAskJulie

If we had to make the choice we'd stop eating out completely and set that money aside so that we could still hit our favorite club on occasion.

That said, there are plenty of ways to swing cheap. You may have to cut back on hitting the clubs and it may require inviting people home more, or just meeting for a drink or desert instead of dinner, but a tight budget doesn't mean no swinging (or no leisure). Just means you have to do it differently.

Those are some good ideas Julie. We went to an event over the weekend and spent about $140, of which about $100 was for drinks! Next time, diet cokes for us... Meeting at Starbucks would be much cheaper than over dinner, good idea there.

[TravlParty]

We've seen a change this past year in the number of people attending events - it has gone down. Our closest friends are in the real estate business, and are not able to travel. Companies in this area are closing down, and putting a lot of people out of work. I'm sure that's happening all over the country.

On a happy note, gas is under $2.50 a gallon, so the Halloween weekend should be great!

[LFM2]

We have cut back on our opportunities. We don't travel as far as we would have in the past. There were two great parties on Saturday night. One was much closer than the other, but charged $30/person (not couple) to get in and the other one didn't have a cover charge, yet it was 3 hours away.

We have been eating more at home instead of eating out. That in itself saves us $$$. Now we're saving up for a trip to attend our daughters graduation in December. Hotel room for three nights and food, plus the rental car. Everything takes money. Not a bad thing though -- it's what makes the world go round!